Crans Montana: India's Anirban Lahiri's free fall at the Omega European Masters continued, as Shiv Kapur (69) finished as the best Indian in the tournament, here on Sunday.
The sole leader on first day with a round of 63, Lahiri shot even par on second and then had 75-75 on the weekend to finish. Kapur's 69 with three birdies and one bogey saw him finish at six-under 278 for the week in tied 26th place in the only tournament on European soil to be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Lahiri at even par 284 was tied 57th while Gaganjeet Bhullar (77) slid to tied 62nd at two-over 286 for 72 holes. Up at the top, seasoned Thomas Bjorn sunk a 12 footer on the first playoff hole to win his 14th European Tour title.
It was also his second at the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre. Extra holes were required to separate Bjorn and overnight leader Craig Lee, who struck 65 and 67 respectively on the final day.
Bjorn former made quick work of sealing victory thereafter, birding the 18th with a fine putt that sealed his 14th victory. Bjorn appeared to have decisively taken control after making five birdies in an outward 31.
With the Dane dropping only two shots over the first three rounds, it certainly appeared he had the necessary consistency. However, Craig Lee, who carded a stunning 61 in the third round, caught fire on the back nine.
With Bjorn picking up just one more shot on the way in, Lee enjoyed gains at 12, 15 and 16. He headed into the final hole knowing a birdie would be enough to secure victory but - after seeing his first putt lip out -ultimately settled for a par to join Bjorn in the clubhouse on 20 under par and force extra holes.
The top Indian, Kapur said, "I played steady the entire week. I shot under-par in all four rounds and anytime you do that, you know you're playing well. I would have like to shoot a really low round to put myself into the mix but it was steady golf and I'm pretty happy with the way I'm playing.
"On the Indian challenge here, he added, "We've a big bunch here and we've a lot of really good players here. There were eight of us here this week and anytime you can come out as a top Indian shows that you're playing well."
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee underlined his credentials as one of Asia's best players when he posted his week's best score of six-under-par 65 to emerge as the best-placed Asian.
The Thai ace, who holds an unprecedented three Asian Tour Order of Merit titles, was simply in a class of his own as he mixed eight birdies against a double-bogey to close his Swiss campaign with a four-day total of 12-under-par272 for a tied ninth place.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who was among Thailand's other hopefuls, closed with a 68 while Pariya Junhasavasdikul and Chapchai Nirat signed off with scores of 69 and 70 respectively. Pariya was tied 34th, while Kiradech and Chapchai were tied 44th.
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